Luzia S. Germann

In Situ Monitoring and Mechanism of the Mechanochemical Formation of a Microporous MOF-74 Framework

Mechanochemistry provides a rapid, efficient route to metal-organic framework Zn-MOF-74 directly from a metal oxide and without bulk solvent. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction monitoring of the reaction course reveals two new phases and an unusual stepwise process in which a close-packed intermediate reacts to form the open framework. The reaction can be performed on a gram scale to yield a highly porous material after activation.

Synthesis, structures, magnetic, and theoretical investigations of layered Co and Ni thiocyanate coordination polymers

Reaction of cobalt(ii) and nickel(ii) thiocyanate with ethylisonicotinate leads to the formation of [M(NCS)2(ethylisonicotinate)2]n with M = Co (2-Co) and M = Ni (2-Ni), which can also be obtained by thermal decomposition of M(NCS)2(ethylisonicotinate)4 (M = Co (1-Co), Ni (1-Ni)). The crystal structure of 2-Ni was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The Ni(ii) cations are octahedrally coordinated by two N and two S bonding thiocyanate anions and two ethylisonicotinate ligands and are linked by pairs of anionic ligands into dimers, that are connected into layers by single thiocyanate bridges. The crystal structure of 2-Co was refined by Rietveld analysis and is isostructural to 2-Ni. For both compounds ferromagnetic ordering is observed at 8.7 K (2-Ni) and at 1.72 K (2-Co), which was also confirmed by specific heat measurements. Similar measurements on [Co(NCS)2(4-acetylpyridine)2]n that exhibits the same layer topology also prove magnetic ordering at 1.33 K. Constrained DFT calculations (CDFT) support the ferromagnetic interactions within the layers. The calculated exchange constants in 2-Ni were used to simulate the susceptibility by quantum Monte Carlo method. The single-ion magnetic anisotropy of the metal ions has been investigated by CASSCF/CASPT2 calculations indicating significant differences between 2-Ni and 2-Co.

Solid-State Reversible Nucleophilic Addition in a Highly Flexible MOF

A flexible and porous metal-organic framework, based on Co(II) connectors and benzotriazolide-5-carboxylato linkers, is shown to selectively react with guest molecules trapped in the channels during the sample preparation or after an exchange process. Stimulated by a small crystal shrinking, upon compression or cooling, the system undergoes a reversible, nonoxidative nucleophilic addition of the guest molecules to the metal ion. With dimethylformamide, only part of the penta-coordinated Co atoms transform into hexa-coordinated, whereas with the smaller methanol all of them stepwise increase their coordination, preserving the crystallinity of the solid at all stages. This extraordinary example of chemisorption has enormous implications for catalysis, storage, or selective sieving.

Structures, Thermodynamic Relations, and Magnetism of Stable and Metastable Ni(NCS)2 Coordination Polymers

Reaction of Ni(NCS)2 with 4-aminopyridine in different solvents leads to the formation of compounds with the compositions Ni(NCS)2(4-aminopyridine)4 (1), Ni(NCS)2(4-aminopyridine)2(H2O)2 (2), [Ni(NCS)2(4-aminopyridine)3(MeCN)]·MeCN (3), and [Ni(NCS)2(4-aminopyridine)2] n (5-LT). Compounds 1, 2, and 3 form discrete complexes, with octahedral metal coordination. In 5-LT the Ni cations are linked by single thiocyanate anions into chains, which are further connected into layers by half of the 4-aminopyridine coligands. Upon heating, 1 transforms into an isomer of 5-LT with a 1D structure (5-HT), that on further heating forms a more condensed chain compound [Ni(NCS)2(4-aminopyridine)] n (6) that shows a very unusual chain topology. If 3 is heated, a further compound with the composition Ni(NCS)2(4-aminopyridine)3 (4) is formed, which presumably is a dimer and which on further heating transforms into 6 via 5-HT as intermediate. Further investigations reveal that 5-LT and 5-HT are related by enantiotropism, with 5-LT being the thermodynamic stable form at room-temperature. Magnetic and specific heat measurements reveal ferromagnetic exchange through thiocyanate bridges and magnetic ordering due to antiferromagnetic interchain interactions at 5.30(5) K and 8.2(2) K for 5-LT and 6, respectively. Consecutive metamagnetic transitions in the spin ladder compound 6 are due to dipolar interchain interactions. A convenient formula for susceptibility of the ferromagnetic Heisenberg chain of isotropic spins S = 1 is proposed, based on numerical DMRG calculations, and used to determine exchange constants.

Green and rapid mechanosynthesis of high-porosity NU- and UiO-type metal–organic frameworks

The use of a dodecanuclear zirconium acetate cluster as a precursor enables the rapid, clean mechanochemical synthesis of high-microporosity metal-organic frameworks NU-901 and UiO-67, with surface areas up to 2250 m2 g-1. Real-time X-ray diffraction monitoring reveals that mechanochemical reactions involving the conventional hexanuclear zirconium methacrylate precursor are hindered by the formation of an inert intermediate, which does not appear when using the dodecanuclear acetate cluster as a reactant.

Rational route for targeted synthesis of microporous mixed-metal MOFs

Ghada Ayoub1, Krunoslav Užarević2, Ashlee J. Howarth3, Luzia S. Germann4, Robert E. Dinnebier4, Omar K. Farha3, Tomislav Friščić1 1Chemistry Department, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 2Institute Ruđer Bošković, Bijenička 54, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia, 3Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, United States, 4Max Planck Institute for SolidState Research, 70569., Stuttgart, Germany E-mail: ghada.ayoub@mail.mcgill.ca

Binding guest molecules to frameworks: pressure-induced chemisorption in breathing MOFs

Arianna Lanza1, Luzia Germann2, Martin Fisch3, Nicola Casati4, Piero Macchi5 1Italian Institute Of Technology, Pisa, Italy, 2Max-Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany, 3University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 4Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland, 5Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland E-mail: ari.streghetta@gmail.com